The bombing plot foiled by the FBI last night that targeted the annual Christmas Tree lightening at Pioneer Courthouse Square is a powerful reminder of the threats we face as a nation.
That the FBI was able to identify the would-be bomber and stop his plans also demonstrates how well the Obama administration is dealing with such threats. I don't believe we can stop all terrorist attacks against the United States or our allies but this proves Once again that through good work - coordinated among many agencies (federal, state and local) - that we can stop some attacks.
One of the best allies in the fight against terrorism has been the Muslim American community. Mohamed Osman Mohamud, the teen arrested, was not representative of Portland's Muslim community. It is important that Oregonians remember that in the coming days. Christians, Jews and Muslims in Portland have worked hard to build ties and bridges in the years since 9/11 and you can no more blame the entire Muslim world for acts of terrorism than you can blame all Christians for the Oklahoma City Bombing or domestic terrorist attacks against women's clinics.
Other attempted terrorist attacks have led to threats of violence against Muslim communities. That happened after 9/11 in Portland. Churches and temples can play an important role by offering friendship and protection to our Muslim brothers and sisters in the wake of this incident.
This event also serves as a reminder of the danger of religious fundmentalism. Those who strive for a real and just peace need to work against fundamentalism and offer a vision of the peaceable Kingdom of God where diversity is valued and love reigns supreme.
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
- Isaiah 11:6-9
